Home. Made Story - Acreage in Sydney

The Powell family have recently completed their building journey of their gorgeous new Almonte home in North Kellyville, and they were kind enough to share their experience and advice for others looking to build.

What inspired you to choose this home design? 

Having a young family, a single-story house was key. Our block allowed us to have a sprawling home with a longer frontage that made the most of the view behind. The Almonte allowed us to have a kids wing away from the parents' master bedroom without feeling too disconnected. The Everyday range has such affordable home designs so you can upgrade to your heart's content. 

How did you ensure that your home reflected your personal style?

We love the fact that McDonald Jones allows you to change the façade to incorporate whatever vibes and colours you want. In terms of reflecting my personal style, my mother was a huge inspiration who has always been brave in taking risks and creating out-of-the-box designs. I remember growing up with a purple veranda. Undulated render, quirky curves, and personalised sculpture and artworks was how I brought my style into the Almonte without being too niche for an eventual resale.  

We love the fact that McDonald Jones allows you to change the façade to incorporate whatever vibes and colours you want.

Which part of your home do you spend the most time in, and why is it special to you? 

When you enter the house, you walk straight into the kitchen, dining and living room. It's such a flexible space that we can have friends over for a drink, kids can play with their toys, and it flows out onto the veranda space as another living area. It's hard to visualise what a space will look and feel like from plans. I originally thought the space would be quite tight, however we are so happy with how open and airy it is, especially with the 3m ceilings.  

What is your favourite home feature? 

It's so hard to choose! Upgrading the ceiling height to 3m allowed us to make the house feel so much bigger as well as increase the external doors and ceiling heights, which brought the bush views in. It's definitely giving tree-top vibes. Choosing our stone for the island brought that lux feeling to an otherwise very white kitchen. It’s the feature piece, and your eye doesn’t have to compete with anything else for attention.  

What was a key milestone for you during the building process?

I was heavily pregnant with our son Jagger pre-build and was desperate for the slab to go down before I delivered. We had the most amazing site supervisor who made that happen, which gave us that ‘oh wow, this is really happening’ feel. It’s a scary time when the slab goes down, as it looks so small; however, the moment the frames go up, it all makes sense, and you get to experience how the space will really feel.  

How did working with us impact the outcome of your home? What did you like most about building with McDonald Jones?

The great thing about McDonald Jones is that they will do as much or as little as you want. They can build you a home that you walk in, kick your shoes off and do nothing with, or they can build you a fabulous blank slate to get creative with. Being time poor with two little ones, we opted for laundry cabinetry, flooring and all fittings included and then got creative with the little details like handles and wardrobe spaces after handover. We had a fantastic site manager who communicated with us so well, went above and beyond and supported our vision throughout the process.

Good things take time, and there are so many people working behind the scenes to get your build underway. McDonald Jones want you to build, they want you to get your dream home, so trust the process. 

What advice would you give someone building their own home for the first time?

Have a plan, a vision and a collection of images/ samples before you go to your internals. I went in with my mood board for each space ready, a flooring sample and paint samples ready to match. This is a huge investment and you want to know that it will be cohesive. McDonald Jones sends you a fantastic questionnaire if you’re a little confused. 

Be patient, good things take time and there are so many people working behind the scenes to get your build underway. McDonald Jones want you to build, they want you to get your dream home, so trust the process. 
Have fun! This is a creative process where you get to show people your personality through style. Enjoy it and back your decisions. 



To get started with your home build, contact your nearest Building and Design Consultant here.